The Fallen Memory
by Blossom The Awesome
Summary: Dusk Eclipse has spent nearly fifty years of her ageless life searching for Shadow The Hedgehog. In the process, she may be swept into a battle far beyond what she expected. Click for more extensive summary. Rated T for possible romance or language.
1. Summary

For the last fifty years, the ageless Dusk Eclipse has been combing the world at large, living on her own, searching for her closest "relative" and source of job: Project Shadow, the Ultimate Life Form. You see, Professor Gerald, all those years ago, sensed how dangerous life would be for Project Shadow, thus he created Dusk Eclipse, a specialized guardian for the Ultimate Life Form. Dusk kept her job from Shadow a secret on the ARK, going to such lengths to conceal herself that Shadow was oblivious to her existance.

On the fatal day the ARK was shut down, Dusk lost track of Shadow in the crowd of people pushing past her to get off the ARK. He had taken the Professors granddaughter--Maria--by the hand and tried to lead her to safety before Maria could alert Dusk. With no time, Maria had sent Shadow rocketing to Earth only seconds before Dusk burst into the room. Dusk had been quick to leave the ARK, but she knew she would never find Shadow again...

All this is only a mere highlight of Dusk's mysterious past, and even amidst Dusk's futile attempts to rediscover the Ultimate Life Form she struggles everday to remember exactly what happened on the ARK that day, and find out what fuels her terrible phobias, thoughts, and secret desires...

But everything changes when the fully grown grandson of Professor Gerald discovers the other ultimate project the Professor had been working on the--the deadly Eclipse Canon, certain to bring a doomsday to the defenseless planet earth. Doom is certain, unless the citizens of earth bow down to the evil genius, and accept him a the ruler of the planet. But even Dr. Eggman isn't prepared for the worlds fastest hedgehog, aided by a two-tailed fox, a spunky pink hedgehog with a big hammer and a fiery love for the blue blur, and a powerful red echidna with more on his mind than just saving the world to step in and save the day. And what these heroes don't expect is a stowaway on the rocket up to the ARK, formally known as Dusk Eclipse, who knows that the Canon could only have been activated with the help of Shadow, and who needs to meet up with him again...

And even as Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Amy Rose and Knuckles the Echidna fight for the world, a new fiery passion is growing, laced with fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and a terrible internal struggle ending with an emotionally explosive climax...

Deadly secrets will be brought to the surface, the truth about what happened on the ARK will be revealed, hearts will plummet, destruction will ensue... and it will be the worst 24 hours of everyone's lives.


	2. Memory Scan

Dusk silently stared up at the pale stars, brooding.

The otherwise blank black canvas stretching above her nearly motionless body glared back. Once again, Dusk reviewed the facts in her head. Shadow was still out there, somewhere, and quite possibly alone. The world had already seen what damage Dr. Robotnik could do with his recently tested dooms-day device, but Dusk knew with much certainty that he had not pulled it off alone.

The device she had seen on the television screens when she ventured into town had struck her as familiar. Careful memory-scans had revealed her utterly close connection with the deadly machine.

She had watched as the professor pored over diagrams and tinkered with bits of metal, finally compiling a miniature model that burned a hole in his desk. Dusk was fascinated by it, constantly prodding it and watching the tiny laser flare up and hit the unwary professor on his shoulder. At a distance, the laser couldn't hurt him, and he constantly chuckled about her project name. He had always said that as opposed to Dusk Eclipse, he should have named her "Laser Prodder". After that day, he addressed her as Laser. It was one of their many private jokes, some of which Dusk would still giggle over if her situation weren't so grim.

As the professor worked on the full-scale machine, Dusk adopted the miniature. Often when she prowled after Shadow she would hide in a shaded corner and try to laser-fy him. He would always spin around, shooting a challenging glare in the direction the laser had came. It was vital to her job that he not see her, and she had always took care to remain still when he searched for his attacker. Every time he came up empty-handed, he would smirk slightly, as if he too were amused by Dusk's antics.

Only once he had left would Dusk allow her giggles to burst out.

The fateful the day that the ARK had been shut down, she lost track of Shadow in the rush to get off the space station. The last she saw was a split second look at his face before the capsule Maria had caught him in rocketed out and began its rapid descent to earth. Dusk had felt her heart stop, and knew immediately that she had to find him.

Maria quietly explained that she had done it for Shadow's safety, and apologized that she had not sent Dusk as well.

It would be nearly impossible to find the precise place where he had landed, and she had immediately joined the final bout of people leaving the ARK. Upon reaching earth, she scanned the forgotten newspapers for news of a capsule landing, but found none. Almost a year later, after careful combing, she discovered a crater with the smashed, forgotten capsule. Any tracks that Shadow could've made were long since smeared out.

Dusk Eclipse had completely dedicated her life to rediscovering Shadow. It would be no use to hide herself from him any longer. She would have to tell him what her purpose was.

The news of the lost-and-found Eclipse Canon had delighted and terrified Dusk at the same time. It meant Shadow was involved somehow, for he and Dusk were the only current survivors of the ARK raid who knew of the Eclipse Canon, and he was most likely on the ARK. At the same time, it meant severe danger for the tiny planet earth. The Eclipse Canon had demonstrated a small portion of its power upon the moon, and had blown nearly half of it away.

Therefore, Dusk had to get back to the ARK.

How, she didn't know, but she had heard the hushed talk that the famed Sonic the Hedgehog would be going up. So, it was a matter of tracking him down and hitching a ride.

_I shouldn't even be here, _Dusk thought bitterly, narrowing her violet eyes at the defenseless night sky. _I should be running after him._

She knew roughly where the rocket would be launching from, and if she could infiltrate the security systems, then she would get a free ticket onto the next—and quite possibly only—rocket to the ARK.

Excitement mixed with fear created energy that tingled in her legs. _I should go right now, _Dusk thought, but couldn't bring herself to sit up from her current reclining position on a bed of grass. _I should go early tomorrow, _she revised decisively. _I should sleep, too. That will get my energy store up._

Having no complaints with her new action plan, Dusk let her lids fall, as they had been itching to for hours.

_Woo-oo! Woo-oo!_

"_Red alert! Red alert!"_

_Woo-oo! Woo-oo!_

"_Red alert! Red alert! This is not a drill!"_

_Woo-oo! Woo-oo!_

"_I repeat, this is not a drill! This is not a drill!"_

_Terror. Panic. Waves of people pushing against her, screaming, nearly drowning out the screeches of the alarms. People pushing past those people, headed in the opposite direction. She fights against the people. She needs to find him._

_She needs to find him…_

"_Where are you?" she gasps, shoving past the uniformed men. They shoot at her, barely missing, but she doesn't care. Her DNA tells her she is to take a bullet to protect him if ever necessary._

_Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!_

_Flashing red lights. Red reminds her of him. Red reminds her of blood. Red reminds her of her purpose. Red gives her energy._

_Terror. Panic. She is in an empty hallway. She is alone with a couple uniformed men. She has pulled ahead of them…_

Dusk's eyes snapped open.

"What was that crazy dream?" she murmured, rubbing her head. "Its been so long…"

She sat up and looked around her. Peachy streaks of light were visible through the gaps of the eastern trees. "Who am I, anyway?" she questioned the air around her. "This is so weird. I can remember barely anything from the ARK…"

The pictures flashed before her again. They looked oddly familiar, but Dusk couldn't place her finger on it.

"Just Déjà vu," she decided out loud. There was no way what she had seen could have been real… it had happened so much differently… no, just déjà vu. Nothing more…

She stood up and stretched, shaking the thoughts from her head and glancing towards the early signs of dawn. Towards the west there was nothing but darkness. Dusk drew a brief compass in the dirt and headed south, away from the city and forest.


	3. Knuckles

**Note from the Author: Okay guys, the next chapter is shorter and introduces a new character… Uhh… enjoy I guess, even though no ones reviewed it yet, I'll keep updating… hehe…**

**Disclaimer: All Sonic the Hedgehog characters and plot are (c) Sega, otherwise known as not me (sadness TT).**

**Another Disclaimer: I own Dusk and the following writing.**

Many hours later, the sun was high in the sky. Dusk paused at a riverbank, panting with exhaust and her fur matted from sweat. She had made good progress, but wouldn't get out of the forest for a while now if she kept stopping.

The forest was oddly still, with virtually nothing making any noise. It was shaping up to be a hot day, and Dusk knew it would be unwise to continue. With a sigh, she dropped her bag and spread out an old, tattered cloth to mark her "territory".

She grabbed an apple from a nearby fruit tree and bit in eagerly, her strong teeth grinding it into a defenseless pulp. The apple was gone quickly, and Dusk glared up at the sky. She could sacrifice a few more minutes if she ran the rest of the day.

She stripped off her clothing and splashed into the river. It dropped off sharply into eight-foot deep waters, and Dusk wasn't ready for it, but bobbed up quickly. She held onto the overgrown grass with one hand, and with the other rubbed off the worst of the grime. She never was much of a swimmer. The water was cool and serene, and Dusk wished she could stay there forever, enjoying the lazy sunlight filtering in through the trees. After awhile, as Dusk began to think of getting out, she heard a rustle in the bush. She froze, heart pounding, as a red echidna emerged, focused on something in his hand that was beeping insistently.

_If I don't move, maybe he won't see me. _It was unlikely, her ebony, purple-streaked head would stand out clearly amongst the grass. Dusk cautiously dew her knees up to her chest, hoping to shield herself—or at least what was usually hidden in her layers of clothing. The echidna was certainly mesmerized by whatever he had in his gloved hand. Perhaps he would pass her over…

He didn't see her, but he saw her bag. He made his way towards it, his back to her, and his little device began beeping louder and more frequently as he got nearer to her bag. Dusk held her breath.

He stuck his hand right in her bag, as if looking for something.

Dusk couldn't stand watching him.

"_Hey! You!_" she yelled. He spun around, miniature machine flying out of his grip, but Dusk saw the glint of green in his other—closed—hand. "That's my stuff," she growled. "Don't… touch… it."

The red echidna looked stunned. "Sorry, but this is mine." He held up the green shard of a gem that Dusk had found poking her in the back one night. She raised her eyebrows at him, and he shook his head. "Whatever. I'm just leaving now, anyway."

"Don't move! Who said you could have it back?" Dusk snapped.

It was the echidna's turn to raise his eyebrows. "If you want it so bad, come here and get it."

He had her caught. She narrowed her eyes and he smirked slightly. "Turn around…" she commanded him. He didn't move. "Turn around and don't move. Keep your shiny rock. Just don't move and don't look."

With a face announcing that he was only following her orders to humor her, he obeyed.

Dusk climbed out, shaking herself halfway dry and hastily sponging the rest off with the cloth. She then slipped into her clothes and began putting her boots on.

"You can turn around now," she said evenly. The echidna did just that as Dusk fastened the final buckle.

"Now, lets do a fair trade," Dusk said, eyes narrowing again.

He laughed. "What do you have that I need?"

Smirking, Dusk held up his machine, which could only have been a radar. It was beeping noisily, very close to its target. The red echidna glared at her. "What do you want for it?"

"Answer some questions for me."

"I don't have time to waste. Just give it here, kitty."

Dusk held it threateningly over the water. "Answer some questions for me."

"Drop it and you're dead."

Dusk leered stubbornly at him and removed one finger from the radar, leaving only three.

"Don't you dare…"

She raised a second finger warningly. The echidna glared at her calculatingly for another moment, apparently weighing his chances.

Finally, he spoke again.

"Fine. I'll answer some of your questions. If you hold the radar of the water for any longer, I _will _attack you. No questions will be answered."

Grinning, Dusk held radar close to her heart.

"First question: Who are you?"

He responded almost immediately, as if impatient.

"Knuckles. Knuckles the Echidna."

"Thank you, Knuckles. Second question: Will you be working with Sonic anytime soon?"

Knuckles paused to think for a brief second. "Yes," he answered guardedly.

"Third question: How soon?"

"In about half an hour, assuming you give me my radar back."

"Fourth question: Can I come with you?"

Knuckles snorted. "Of course not."

"Why?"

"Because what I am doing is none of your business."

"Will you be going up to the ARK?"

Knuckles froze. Dusk smiled.

"You see, Knuckles, I am Dusk Eclipse, guardian of Shadow, the Ultimate Life Form, and it appears he is on the ARK. Having no means of transportation, it appears I will have to hitch a ride with your friend Sonic." Her tone was serious. "I have been searching for Shadow for the last 50 years. Do not allow me to fail my job any longer."

Knuckles let out a long sigh. "How am I supposed to get there quickly with you tagging along?"

"Simple, Knuckles. We run."

Knuckles gave her an exasperated look. "Maybe you just like to run, but I doubt you'll be able to keep up the pace. You're a flimsy piece of cardboard."

"Knuckles, the question is, can you keep up with _me_?"

Knuckles stared at her for a moment, bemused, then burst out laughing. "You seriously think you can outrun me?"

"Yes," Dusk said. "Here, how's this? You leave the gem here, and I leave the radar, and we run straight until we reach the fallen tree back there. From there, we'll turn around immediately and run back." She pointed. "If I get there first, I give you your radar and come with you. If you get there first, you take your radar and I find some other way to get up to the ARK."

"Easy," Knuckles said.

"Put down the gem here. The race will start in one minute."

They stood next to each other, stretching in preparation. 40 seconds passed, and the two got into starting positions. 10 more seconds ticked away. "Good luck," Dusk said to Knuckles, who responded with a small nod.

"3… 2… 1…"

"GO!"

They took off, running flat out. Dusk was panting side-by-side with Knuckles. It seemed that no matter how much speed she put into her run, she just couldn't pass him. He seemed to be experiencing the same problem. The halfway point was approaching rapidly, and Dusk knew the only way she would win was if she could stop on a dime for her turn.

They reached the fallen tree. Dusk skidded through the mud, attempting to turn around. She made a successful turn, and was about to race back when she felt a body slam into her. She was sent flying off course, landing just outside the mud puddle. She gasped, and a split second later something landed on her.

A very muddy Knuckles, panting, rolled off her back. Dusk groaned as pain shot through her. "You okay?" Knuckles panted.

"No," Dusk muttered into the grass. She was rapidly losing sense of what was happening around her. "Ughh…" she grunted as she officially fell out of consciousness.


End file.
